Driving support device

• US 9,922,558 B2
• Filed: 11/03/2016
• Issued: 03/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Ten Limited (DENSO Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanaka, Shinichi, Ichioka, Hironori
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Jack K
• Application Number:
  US15/342,704
• Publication Number:
  US 20170132924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 340905
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/143 Alarm means
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2420/403 Image sensing, e.g. optical camera
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0657 Engine torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/21 Voice
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2555/20 Ambient conditions, e.g. wind or rain
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/45 External transmission of data to or from the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/55 using telemetry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3691 Retrieval, searching and output of information related to real-time traffic, weather, or environmental conditions arrangements for giving variable traffic instructions G08G1/09
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3697 Output of additional, non-guidance related information, e.g. low fuel level G01C21/3679 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 20/597 Recognising the driver's state or behaviour, e.g. attention or drowsiness
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/18 Eye characteristics, e.g. of the iris
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0112 from the vehicle, e.g. floating car data [FCD]
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0133 for classifying traffic situation
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0141 for traffic information dissemination
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/0967 : Systems involving transmission of highway information, e.g. weather, speed limits transmission of navigation instructions to the vehicle G08G1/0968
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096716 : where the received information does not generate an automatic action on the vehicle control
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/09675 : where a selection from the received information takes place in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/096775 : where the origin of the information is a central station

Abstract

A driving support device is connected with a control device, a positioning unit and a driver-state detection device, and communicates with dangerous-spot analysis device, the control device outputting a behavior signal indicating that a dangerous behavior of a vehicle occurred, the dangerous-spot analysis device outputting driver information indicating a state of a driver of the vehicle, the dangerous-spot analysis device. The driving support device includes: a dangerous-spot notification unit; a state judgment unit that acquires the driver information from the driver-state detection device and that judges whether the state of the driver is a state of increasing a risk, based on the driver information; and a warning unit that warns in a case where there is a possibility of passing through the risky spot specified by the dangerous-spot analysis device and where the state judgement unit judges that the state of the driver is the state of increasing the risk.

Claims

1. A driving support device that is connected with a control device, a positioning unit and a driver-state detection device and that communicates with a dangerous-spot analysis device, the control device outputting a behavior signal indicating that a dangerous behavior of a vehicle occurred, the positioning unit acquiring positional information on the vehicle, the driver-state detection device outputting driver information indicating a state of a driver of the vehicle, the dangerous-spot analysis device specifying a risky spot based on dangerous-spot information that is sent from a plurality of vehicles, the dangerous-spot information containing positional information on a spot where a dangerous behavior occurred,

the driving support device comprising:

a dangerous-spot notification unit that acquires the behavior signal from the control device and that sends the dangerous-spot information to the dangerous-spot analysis device;

a state judgment unit that acquires the driver information from the driver-state detection device and that judges whether the state of the driver is a state of increasing a risk, based on the driver information; and

a warning unit that warns of approach to the risky spot in a case where there is a possibility of passing through the risky spot specified by the dangerous-spot analysis device and where the state judgment unit judges that the state of the driver is the state of increasing the risk, wherein

the driver-state detection device is a device that monitors information about rides of the driver, and

based on a regularity of previous rides of the driver, the state judgment unit judges that the state of the driver is the state of increasing the risk, in a case where a current ride deviates from the regularity of the previous rides of the driver by a predetermined value or more.

2. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the dangerous-spot notification unit sends, to the dangerous-spot analysis device, the dangerous-spot information further containing date-and-time information indicating a date and time when the dangerous behavior occurred,

the dangerous-spot analysis device acquires information indicating weather at the spot at the date and time when the dangerous behavior occurred, and specifies the risky spot in association with the weather, and

the warning unit warns of the approach to the risky spot in a case where there is a possibility of passing through the risky spot in the weather specified by the dangerous-spot analysis device and where the state judgment unit judges that the state of the driver is the state of increasing the risk.

3. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the dangerous-spot notification unit sends, to the dangerous-spot analysis device, the dangerous-spot information further containing data indicating the state of the driver at a time point when the dangerous behavior occurred,

the dangerous-spot analysis device specifies the risky spot in association with the data indicating the state of the driver at the time point when the dangerous behavior occurred, and

the warning unit warns of the approach to the risky spot in a case where there is a possibility of passing through the risky spot and where the state of the driver during running is the same as the state of the driver at the time point when the dangerous behavior occurred.

4. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the behavior signal is at least one of a signal indicating that a tire span, a signal indicating that an ABS (Antilock Brake System) was actuated, a signal indicating that an ESC (Electronic Stability Control) was actuated, a signal indicating that a TCS (Traction Control System) was actuated, and a torque control signal of a four-wheel-drive vehicle.

5. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the driver-state detection device is a photographing device that photographs the driver, and

the state judgment unit judges that the state of the driver is the state of increasing the risk, in a case where a predetermined action of the driver is detected.

6. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the driver-state detection device is a voice input device, and

based on data acquired from the voice input device, the state judgment unit judges that the state of the driver is the state of increasing the risk, in a case where a driver'"'"'s conversation or a driver'"'"'s speech containing a predetermined word is detected.

7. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the driver-state detection device is a pedal stroke sensor that is provided on an accelerator pedal or a brake pedal, and

based on data acquired from the pedal stroke sensor, the state judgment unit judges that the state of the driver is the state of increasing the risk, in a case where a sudden starting or a sudden braking beyond a predetermined reference is detected.

8. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the warning unit warns repeatedly, in a case where there is a possibility of passing through the risky spot specified by the dangerous-spot analysis device and where the state of the driver continues to be the state of increasing the risk, and warns more strongly, in a case of approach to less than a predetermined reference from the risky spot.

9. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the regularity of the previous rides of the driver is relevant to departure time of the vehicle in each day of week,

the driver-state detection device monitors departure time in each day of week, and

the state judgment unit judges that the state of the driver is the state of increasing the risk, in a case where the departure time monitored by the driver-state detection device is behind a departure time based on the regularity of the previous rides of the driver.

10. The driving support device according to claim 1, wherein

the regularity of the previous rides of the driver is relevant to a time period after the driver opens a door and before the driver starts the vehicle,

the driver-state detection device monitors the time period after the driver opens the door and before the driver starts the vehicle, and

the state judgment unit judges that the state of the driver is the state of increasing the risk, in a case where the time period monitored by the driver-state detection device is shorter than a predetermined time period based on the regularity of the previous rides of the driver.